GB2219930A

GB2219930A - Lids for drinking cups

Info

Publication number: GB2219930A
Application number: GB8814431A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jane Allan; Ole Boysen
Original assignee: FLASHLITES
Current assignee: FLASHLITES
Priority date: 1988-06-17
Filing date: 1988-06-17
Publication date: 1989-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 2008-06-17
Also published as: GB8814431D0; GB2219930B

Abstract

Detachable lids for use with disposable drinking cups which enable the user to drink with the lid in position, comprise a rim (2) adapted to form a substantially fluid tight seal with the inner or outer edge of the open end of the cup and a circular central cover portion (1) formed from resilient sheet material. The cover portion (1) has a surface area greater than the area it covers and two arcuately hinged rim portions (5, 6) on opposite sides so that the cover portion has two substantially stable positions. In the first position the cover portion lies substantially below the plane of the rim and in the second position the cover portion lies substantially above the plane (see Figure 4). As a result in the first position the lid substantially seals the cup and in the second position two substantially diametrically opposed apertures are formed between the rim and the edge of the cover portion to act as an air entry aperture and a fluid exit aperture respectively. The lid preferably has a tab (12) on the upper surface of the central section of the cover portion. This assists the user to change the cover portion from one to the other of its stable positions. <IMAGE>

Description

LIDS FOR DRINKING CUPS.

This invention relates to detachable lids for use with disposable drinking cups enabling the user to drink with the lid in position.

It is becoming the custom for hot and cold beverages to be supplied by vending machines, snack bars and similar establishments in disposable containers fabricated from paper or synthetic polymers. It is frequently necessary to carry a full cup from the place at which it has been dispensed to a different place where it is to be consumed.

Such journeys are hazardous, particularly in a moving vehicle such as a train or ship, and spillage is frequent.

To reduce spillage it is common to supply a disposable lid or cap which fits over the top of the cup making it more rigid and providing a more or less fluid-tight seal. The centre of such a lid may be pierced to prevent the build-up of pressure. The pierced aperture may be adapted to allow the entry of a drinking straw. Normally the disposable lid is removed and discarded when drinking a beverage from a cup unless a straw is used. Unfortunately in moving vehicles and in crowds there is a considerable possibility of spillage when the lid is removed from the cup to enable the contents to be drunk. The use of a straw avoids this spillage but is unacceptable for hot beverages, such as tea or coffee, and is liable to cause injury to the mouth if used in a jolting vehicle.

Various attempts have been made to overcome this difficulty by providing a cup lid which allows a user to drink the contents with the lid in place. US-A-4 345 695 proposes a lid with a flap valve to limit the rate of flow of the contents from the cup. The user can only drink while applying pressure to the upper surface of the lid to open the valve. US-A-4 428 498 describes a lid with an expansible spout which users must hold in their mouth while drinking.

GB-A-2 053 865 and GB-A-2 095 099 provide lids which are rendered 'splash-proof' by means of a baffle in front of the fluid exit. These designs do not prevent fluid from leaving the cup but divert it so that it returns to the fluid exit or lies on the surface of the lid.

The present invention provides a cup lid which allows a user to carry a ridded cup without spillage and drink from it with the lid in place.

According to the present invention there is provided a lid for a cup comprising a rim adapted to form a substantially fluid tight seal with the inner or outer edge of the open end of the cup, a circular central cover portion formed from resilient sheet material, the cover portion having a surface area greater than the area it covers and two arcuately hinged rim portions on opposite sides whereby the cover portion has two substantially stable positions, the first in which the cover portion lies substantially below the plane of the rim and the second in which the cover portion lies substantially above the plane, whereby in the first position the lid substantially seals the cup and in the second position two substantially diametrically opposed apertures are formed between the rim and the edge of the cover portion to act as an air entry aperture and a fluid exit aperture respectively.

In a preferred embodiment the upper surface of the central section of the cover portion carries a tab to assist changing the cover portion from one to the other of its stable positions. The tab may be formed as an integral part of the cover portion in which case it will usually comprise a hollow protrusion. Alternatively the tab may be a separately fabricated article attached to the cover portion. Such a tab may be attached to the surface of the cover portion with an adhesive or by welding, for example using the ultrasonic welding technique. A separately fabricated tab has the advantage that it can be formed from a different material allowing a soft tab material to be used that fold away from the nose when drinking from the lidded cup.

The air entry aperture formed when the cover portion is in the second position may be smaller than the fluid exit aperture.

The arcuate hinges of the cover made formed in the course of manufacture of the cup lid, for instance by suitable mould design when vacuum formed, or by a second step, for instance by scoring arcuate lines on the formed surface of the cover portion. The edges of the cover portion adjoining the rim must be severed along the outer edge of the rim portions so that the apertures may be formed when the cover portion is in its second position.

The lid may carry relief designs, such as a manufacturer's or supplier's name or trade mark. The lid may also carry additives for the beverage within the cup such as sugar and/or milk for beverages such as tea and coffee or salt and pepper for soup. The additives can be adhesively secured to the lower surfaceof the cover portion. They may be released into the beverage by contact with the fluid within the cup or selectively under the control of the user.

The additives may be encapsulated in a water soluble film, such as gelatin, alginate, a cellulose derivative or other non-toxic material which softens or dissolves in aqueous fluids.

The lid may be fabricated from any suitable material which is resistant to hot and/or cold aqueous beverages. It can easily be manufactured using synthetic polymers by conventional mass production methods. The choice of material for fabricating the lid is dependant upon the resilient characteristics of the sheet material forming the cover portion. Many thermoplastic synthetic polymers are capable of being fabricated into sheets with the necessary resilient properties. Such polymers include certain forms of polystyrene, polyolefins, polyvinyl esters, polyvinylacetals, polycarbonates, cellulose esters, polyamides, acrylic polymers and copolymers such as ABS.

The lid is preferably manufactured from a thermoplastic resin by the vacuum forming process using a sheet of thermoplastic material such as polystyrene. The synthetic polymer used to manufacture the lid can be pigmented and contain other additives, such as stabilisers, according to conventional practice.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a cup lid according to the invention, Figure 2 is a section across the line A-A of the lid shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a section across the line B-B of the lid shown in Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a diagramatic representation of the section shown in Figure 2 illustrating the cover portion in its two stable positions.

In one embodiment of the invention the cup lid, see Figures 1, 2 and 3 consists of a circular central cover portion 1, surrounded by a rim 2, adapted to engage the inside surface of a cup, not shown. The rim 2 carries an upper portion 3, which engages the open end of the associated cup, and a flange 4, which overlaps and surrounds the top of the cup.

When in use the combined action of the rim 2, upper portion 3 and flange 4 forms a substantially fluid tight seal with the associated cup.

The cover portion 1 has a surface area greater than the area it covers, i.e. the area bounded by the inside of the rim 2, so that it cannot lie flat but forms a protruding dome substantially above or below the plane across the lower end of the rim 2. In Figures 2 and 3 it is shown protruding above the plane.

The cover portion 1 is attached to the to the inside circumference of the rim 2 apart from two places. Two rim portions 5 and 6, are hinged along the arcs 7 and 8. The outer edges of the rim portions 5 and 6 are not attached to the inside of the rim 2. When, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cover portion 1 lies above the plane across the lower end of the rim 2 two apertures 9 and 10, shown shaded, are formed between the outer edge of each rim portion 5 and 6 and the inside of the rim 2. The larger aperture 9 is intended as a fluid exit aperture and the smaller aperture 10 is intended as the air entry aperture.

The central section of the cover portion 1 carries a tab 12. The tab 12 has been integrally formed with the cup lid by use of a suitable vacuum forming mould. In order to form a tab 12 large enough to be gripped but not protruding sufficiently to contact an average drinker's nose it has been sited in a well 13 formed in the centre of the cover 1.

In order to clarify the operate of the cup lid reference will be made to the diagramatic cross section shown in Figure 4. In the first position the upper surface 21 of the cover portion is domed downwardly forming a substantially concave surface so that the edges of the rim portions 5 and 6 are urged against the inside of the rim 2 forming an effectively fluid tight seal. When the tab 12 has been pulled upwards the upper surface 31 of the cover portion is domed upwardly forming a substantially convex surface so that the edges of the rim portions 5 and 6 are withdrawn from the sides of the rim 2 and the apertures 9 and 10 are formed allowing fluid to be drawn from the cup and air to enter.

Claims

CLAIMS.

1. A lid for a cup comprising a rim adapted to form a substantially fluid tight seal with the inner or outer edge of the open end of the cup, a circular central cover portion formed from resilient sheet material, the cover portion having a surface area greater than the area it covers and two arcuately hinged rim portions on opposite sides whereby the cover portion has two substantially stable positions, the first in which the cover portion lies substantially below the plane of the rim and the second in which the cover portion lies substantially above the plane, whereby in the first position the lid substantially seals the cup and in the second position two substantially diametrically opposed apertures are formed between the rim and the edge of the cover portion to act as an air entry aperture and a fluid exit aperture respectively.

2. The lid for a cup as claimed in claim 1 in which the upper surface of the central section of the cover portion carries a tab to assist changing the cover portion from one to the other of its stable positions.

3. The lid for a cup as claimed in claim 2 in which the tab is formed as an integral part of the cover portion.

4. The lid for a cup as claimed in claim 2 in which the tab is a separately fabricated article attached to the cover portion.

5. The lid for a cup as claimed in claim 4 in which the tab is attached to the surface of the cover portion with an adhesive.

6. The lid for a cup as claimed in claim 4 in which the tab is welded to the surface of the cover portion.

7. The lid for a cup as claimed in any of the preceding claims which carries a relief design.

8. The lid for a cup as claimed in any of the preceding claims which carries one or more additives for addition to beverages within the associated cup.

9. The lid for a cup as claimed in any of the preceding claims fabricated from a thermoplastic polymer.

10. Lids for cups as claimed in claim 1 and as herein described.

11. A cup fitted with a lid as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 10.